Support for a toroidal coil



June 19, 1962 K. P. GORMAN SUPPORT FOR A TOROIDAL 0011.

Filed April 29, 1957 United States Patent 3,039,795 SUPPORT FOR ATOROIDAL COIL Kenneth P. Gorman, German Machine Co., 480 S. Main St.,Randolph, Mass. Filed Apr. 29, 1957, Ser. No. 655,574 3 Claims. (Cl.242-4) the doughnut-shaped cores which form the base of the coils bypassing a split-ring through the core. Wire is then wound onto thesplit-ring and subsequently is transferred to the core by dropping thewire from the split-ring onto the core as the split-ring is rotated. Inthe devices which are commonly used for manufacturing coils in thisfashion, it has been a common expedient in the art to secure the coreduring the formation of the coil by a clamping element. The clamp andcore are rotated by the operator during the winding process in order toobtain an even winding of the core. The operator must loosen the clampand tighten it once again about the core over already wound sections, atleast once during each operation, in order to completely wind a toroid.Very often the core must be removed from the clamp several times duringthe processing of a single coil for the purpose of permitting individualsegments to be wound. In addition to difiiculties in clamping andunclamping and in addition to the substantial time consumptionperforming such clamping and unclamping operations the prior artstructures utilized for supporting cores were not satisfactory inproperly centering a core for this winding procedure.

The present invention is designed to overcome these defects of prior artstructures and has other unenumerated advantages which will be moreclearly understood when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the present invention,

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional fragmentary view of a modification of theinvention, and

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIGURE 5.

This particular support illustrated and claimed in the present case isdesigned to be used in connection with small toroidal coil winders. Inmachines of this general type there is provided a drive mechanism and aremovable split ring driven thereby. This split ring which ordinarilyhas a diameter of approximately 3" is formed with a channel along itsouter periphery adapted to receive a quantity of wire. The ring ismounted on the drive mechanism and passed through the core to be woundinto a toroid coil. The core is mounted on the split ring by merelyopening the ring and passing it through the core and then reclosing it.After the core is so mounted the ring is rotated in a reverse directionduring which time a quantity of wire is wound upon the ring. After adesired amount of wire is wound on the ring the end of the wire issecured or passed about the core forming one terminal of the toroidalcoil. The split ring is then rotated in a forward direction and the wireis slipped from the ring, upon each rotation of the ring, andtransferred to the core. Simultaneously, the core is slowly rotated toobtain a distribution of the windings about the core.

The supporting member, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, isrotatedly fixed to the winding machines for support of the core. In thisstructure there is provided a cylindrical base 1 having an axial bore 2extending therethrough. The outer surface of the cylindrical section maybe knurled for ease in handling. The diameter of the bore 2 should besufficient to fit over a locating pin on the winding machine. Thislocating pin, in turn, should be so positioned as to permit the supportof a core for operative engagement with the rotatable split ring.Extending upwardly from the upper surface 3 of the cylindrical surfaceis a supporting column generally indicated at 4.

This supporting column is formed with one longitudinal surfacecomprising a quadrant are continuous with a segment forming a wall ofthe bore 2. Walls 6 and 7 normal to each other are continuous with thewall 5. The outer ends of the walls 6 and 7 are continuous with the wall8 which is a quadrant sector of a frustrum. At the upper end of thissupporting member is a semi-cylindrical supporting head 9. This head issubstantially a 180 degree are concentric with the bore 2 and with itsdiametrical edge substantially aligned with one of the walls 6 or 7. Theupper surface of this semi-cylindrical member provides a top surface 10for supporting a core 11. Projecting upwardly from the oppositeextremities of the supporting head are a pair of pins 12 and 13 whichare designed to engage a core 11 and secure it in position, preventingit from being pulled forward towards the winding machine. The pins 12and 13 are preferably flat and thin in cross section.

The core 11 is placed upon the surface 10 by the operator and the splitring 14 is opened and passed through the core with the ring projectingthrough the arcuate recess 15. In this arrangement the ring 14 may berotated in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction and the core11 may also be rotated in either a clockwise or counterclockwisedirection about the ring section which passes through it. For winding ofthe side of the core 11, opposite the pins 12 and 13, the core 11 may belifted slightly to clear the wire which passes from the ring to the coreand then rotated until the desired section is located between the twopins. The entire support may be slowly rotated as desired, by theoperator, by grasping the support at its base 1.

A modification of this invention is illustrated in FIG- URES 5 and 6. Inthis modification there is provided a base support 30, similar tosupporting base 1. This base 39 is provided, however, with an oversizebore 31. Within this oversize bore 31 there is positioned a cylindricaloil-lite bearing 32 which comprises a sleeve of bearing oil-impregnatedmetal. This bearing has an outer diameter of approximately, for example,of 78" while the inner diameter of the bore may be, for example, Thebearing is preferably coextensive with the bore and is adjustablysupported within the bore by a plurality of set screws 33. These setscrews 33 may be arranged in two groups, an upper group and a lowergroup. Each group may comprise four set screws arranged radially anddegrees from one another. By proper adjustment of the set screws thebearing may be moved farther or closer to one wall of the supportingbase. In this manner small adjustments of the inner bearing may permitan adjustable alignment of diiferent cores with the split ring. Thistype of arrangement avoids the necessity of providing a plurality ofdiiferent sized supporting members for different types of cores.

Having now described my invention I claim:

1. A support for a core adapted to be used in a toroidal core windingdevice comprising an arcuate surface having an inner arcuate edgeextending nearly a pair of parallel pins extending normally from saidsurface at opposite ends thereof, a cylindrical base having alongitudinal opening therethrough with the axis of said opening passingthrough the center of curvature of said arcuate inner edge, and asupporting arm integral at opposite ends with said surface and the uppersurface of said cylindrical base and having at least part of one wallthereof parallel with lines passing through and normal to said arcuatesurface.

2. A support for a core adapted to be used in a toroidal core windingdevice comprising an arcuate surface of nearly 180 adapted to supportthe bottom of said core, a pair of pins extending normally from saidsurface at opposite ends thereof and against which said core is adaptedto bear, a base having an opening with an axis passing through thecenter of curvature of said arcuate surface, said pins having flattenedsurfaces radial with respect to said axis and against which a toroidalcore is adapted to bear, and a supporting arm interconnecting said baseand surface. a

3. For use with a split annular ring adapted to wind a 15 toroidal core,a toroidal core support having an arcuate supporting surface extendingnearly 180 about a line normal to a plane passing through said surface,said surface adapted to slidingly support the bottom of a toroidal core,a pair of parallel pins extending normally from said surface only atopposite ends thereof and adapted to engage the wall of the bore of saidcore, a base having a longitudinal opening with an axis coincident withsaid line, and a supporting arm interconnecting said base and surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,433,112 Goddard Dec. 23, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 644,820 Great BritainOct. 18, 1950

